K: Preserving the Blaze of Your Red
by TCOOKIES777
Summary: When Mikoto follows after Tatara with his death, Homra starts to crumble. Wallowing quietly in her grief and sorrow, the little princess feels lonesome in her once lively castle. But what happens when the Slate comes into contact with her and offers her the power to change history? If Anna decides to take that chance, then at what cost must she pay for it?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the anime, manga, or novels of K. K is offically owned by GoRa/GoHands. I do not own any of their characters... but if I did, then I'd definitely have a tad more romance in it._

_**Author's Note: **__I am completely new to all of this (Fanfiction, writing out stories, etc.) and I'm still only a teen so I can't use fancy big words and stuff like that. Therefore, I'd be deeply grateful if you could take just a minute and review or give me some feedback please! If you think this chapter sucks (but take heed that it's only the prologue so far) then please provide a reason. I welcome constructive criticism with open arms :D And positive opinions/thoughts as well, ahahaha!_

**K: Preserving the Blazes of Your Red**

By: TCOOKIES777

**Prologue**

Anna Kushina knew what pain was. Both emotionally and physically. It was part of what made her so mature for her young and innocent age. She taught herself how to hide her suffering, even when she felt like screaming from the bottom of her heart. She knew how to suppress the pain from showing on her face. She had become an expert in masking her emotions. Anna had become a doll just for the sake of a loved one. That is, until Homra bursted into her life.

As each day passed spending time with her new family, the layers of her mask began to chip away little by little. At first, she tried not to let herself become too attached to them. All her loved ones usually seemed to be taken away from her. Her parents were the first to go. They would never be able to fulfill their promise to take her to the amusement park themselves. Honami was almost taken from her too. But Anna had refused to let her last beloved person be stolen.

When Homra swooped in and saved her, it was like a candle of life had lit up for Anna after she had thought hers had dimmed to nothing. That candle became a blazing flame that scorched hotter than the sun itself. It didn't burn her, no, it embraced her—protected her. And that blaze was the loveliest red she had ever seen in her whole life.

Mikoto, Tatara, Izumo, Kamamoto, Yata, and everyone of the red clan were her family. And Anna couldn't ask for more.

Although she didn't express it that much, she enjoyed every single day she spent with them. She hadn't known she was capable of consuming more food than she had ever before. But she did, because the food and snacks everyone provided her was just too delicious.

Never in her life had she ridden a skateboard before. But she would play together with Yata and his personal one. Giving her lessons and tips, she would mentally take note of everything and nod her head.

Sometimes, when they were all smiling and laughing together at the bar, she would secretly wish that Fushimi was with them as well. He was missing out on so much and Anna just couldn't understand why he couldn't see what everyone else including her did. But if he was happy with his new position, then she was satisfied for him.

Although Anna rarely ever asked for anything, Izumo and Tatara would pay extra attention so they could look to her every need. They made her feel so special. They made her feel like a princess protected and loved by her knights and the king. And every once in a while, she would be graced by the soothing voice of Tatara as he sang the songs he composed with his guitar.

They were constantly a violent and rowdy bunch that made outsiders fear them. But Anna believed there was nothing to fear at all. They were just beings with more power than ordinary people. That didn't mean they didn't have a beating heart like everyone else.

The Red King. So much like a lion with his family. Fierce against menacing intruders; protective against danger; strict when needed; deeply understanding as always; and undoubtedly kind and loyal. Before meeting Mikoto, Anna thought her world would forever stay all black and white with gloomy shades of grey. Unexpectedly, Mikoto and the rest of Homra proved her wrong.

Anna could never believe that she could experience such bliss ever again after the death of her parents. Oh, but she did. And she couldn't be any happier with her beautiful family.

But then, it seemed like her luck had run out.

_Tatara died._

Not long after that, Mikoto did too.

And once again, Anna felt the haunting of pain. And she continued to suffer from it once more. The red blaze was rapidly dimming as her beloved kingdom began to fall apart.


	2. Chapter 1: Survivor's Guilt

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own the anime, manga, novels, and most importantly the characters of K. K is officially owned by GoRa/GoHands._

**Author's Note: **Oh my god, for all of you K fans out there, there's a video that you **must** see! Go to Youtube and type in the search engine _**"****Great Homra** __**Family"** _. Trust me, you might feel teary eyed, but you'll definitely love it! The song/tune is that dango song from Clannad. Please watch the video if you haven't yet! It's not mine, but it's just soo... indescribable for words.

**K: Preserving the Blaze of Your Red**

By: TCOOKIES777

**Chapter 1: Survivor's Guilt**

"Izumo, I'm finished with my food. Thank you." Anna said quietly as she slid her leftovers to the bartender. The food tasted strange in her mouth nowadays. The flavor was bland and not as tasty as it once was. She wasn't exactly sure if it was because her taste buds were acting up funnily or the ingredients were different this time.

The bartender continued to absently clean his glasses and plates as he stared at the empty couches sitting in the corner of the bar.

"Izumo?" Anna said once more. She looked at him for a few seconds before reaching over the counter as far as she could and lightly tugged on the edge of his sleeve. "Izumo—"

Suddenly, the crystal ware slipped through Kusanagi's slim fingers and shattered into pieces with a delicate _crash_. Through his tinted glasses, Anna saw the deadbeat bartender blink his brown eyes like he had just woken up. "Eh?"

"Izumo, I'm sorry; I made you drop the wineglass." Anna whispered. She knew how much he loved his bar where it might've been to the point of obsession even. And for him to not pay attention while he was polishing his 'valuables' was just so… un-Izumo.

He glanced down at the mess with a blank expression before waving his hand, pulling a small smile at Anna. "No, no, Anna, the fault is all mine. Sorry, I've just… been out of it lately. I'm still… … still…."

Anna watched him trail off with his words. "Izumo-san?"

He cleared his throat and bent down to clean up the broken glass. "Sorry, what were you saying before?"

"I've finished eating. Thank you for the meal…." She repeated once more, surprised that the bartender hadn't freaked out over the little accident like he usually would have done.

Izumo slowly dumped the broken glass into the trash and turned to take her plate. When he saw that she had only eaten half of her favorite omurice, a small wrinkle appeared between his brows.

"You didn't finish it? Anna, you know you have to eat more so that you can grow up strong and healthy just like the rest of the clansmen." He began chiding her softly as he wrapped her dinner and placed it in the fridge in case she decided to eat later. "Since you're a preteen, you need to start eating more with a healthy diet. If Mikoto were here, he—"

He froze like a startled deer caught in the car's headlights. Anna stared blankly at him as he chuckled bitterly. "Ah, but he's… not here….. Silly me—idiot…."

"Izumo is not silly or an idiot." Anna reached over and gently touched his cheek. "Izumo is kind, caring, full of love, and makes delicious food. Izumo is Izumo; perfect."

A smile grew on his face but Anna didn't need her marbles to see that it was a smile full of sorrow. He grasped her hand and sighed. "Anna is such a good girl. Too kind. But… I'm not perfect."

He let go of her hand and turned around, facing the shelf to look for more wineglasses that had already been cleaned many times throughout the day.

Anna got off from her stool and headed for the stairs that would lead her down a hallway and to her room. Just a few feet away from Mikoto's….

When she took the first step, she glanced back at the man hunched over his bar and whispered just loudly enough for him to hear, "Izumo is perfect in my eyes. Because you are who you are; someone that I love dearly."

Then she hurried up the rest of the steps to prepare for bed, without sparing another look back at her. She knew that he had heard her.

* * *

She was curled up on her side in bed, tightly hugging a pink stuffed bunny to her chest. It had a mini-version of the lacy lopsided hat that matched her Lolita outfit in the daytime. And there was a big red bow wrapped around the bunny's neck; a present from Tatara when he came into her room one day and saw the collection of stuffed animals sitting around. He had noticed that the pink bunny primly sitting on her bed and guessed that it was her favorite out of all.

Of course, he was correct. It was Honami-san that had given it to her before she officially left Anna in the care of Mikoto. Because reminded her of the love her aunt had shared, Anna treasured it the most. Vera (**A/N**: pronounced _VYEH-rah_) was what she had named the bunny with Tatara's help.

_"Anna, I think we need to have more stuffed animals in here, don't you think?" Tatara said as dropped by her room to check it out._

_ "It's fine." Anna said with a subtle shake of her head. She didn't want to ask for much since she was already satisfied with what she was being provided with._

_ "No, no!" He took a stance with his hands on his hips and a determined smile. "An adorable girl like you must have an adorable room as well! It's only befitting."_

_ He walked over and flopped onto her soft bed, pulling her along with him. She laid her head against his warm chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. "Ah, your bed is so nice! I wouldn't mind sleeping here…. Ah? There's something underneath—"_

_ Tatara whipped out a pink bunny from beneath his back. "Oh, so cute! But not as cute as my little Anna, of course. Where'd you get her from?"_

_ "Honami-san gave it to me as a remembrance of her before she left." Anna replied back softly. "Why is it a 'her'?"_

_ "Because I can't allow my pure Anna to be snuggling with boys. Not even with parental consent or supervision. No—I, including King and the rest of the clan, will not let anyone touch a single hair on you." He hugged her head to his chest. "You're Homra's one and only princess, Anna. And we won't let just any prince sweep you off your feet."_

_ She blinked her dark, wine colored eyes at him, unsure of what to say to all of that._

_ "But Tatara," Anna grasped the sleeve of his shirt. "I don't have a prince."_

_ "It's fine! It's fine!" Tatara reassured her by rubbing her head. "Since King is, well, King already and Izumo-san is Mama, then your big Onii-san can be your first prince."_

_ "Tatara is my prince?" Anna shifted her head to look at him. She didn't think that was such a bad idea actually._

_ "Yep!" A wide smile grew on his lips. "I'll come to your rescue anytime, _my princess._"_

_ "Why first?"_

_ "Well, the rest of the clansman can be Prince number two, Prince number three, and so on!" He laughed. "But someday, your true prince will come. And then you'll marry, and… have kids and… and then—_oh no! I can't bear my princess leaving me. _Anna, stay with me so we can make many happy memories together with King and everyone else, okay?"_

_ "Together…." She whispered softly. That was one of the best ideas she had ever heard from Tatara._

_ "So," Tatara held up the stuffed bunny, changing the subject. "What's this darling's name?"_

_ When she didn't reply, he looked down at her in surprise. "What, Anna hasn't named her yet?"_

_ Anna shook her head a little. "Tatara can name her for me."_

_ "Well then, it would be my honor." He smiled happily before his lips pursed in thought of a perfect name. "All right! How about… '_Vera_'?"  
_(**A/N**: pronounced _VYEH-rah_)

_ "Vera?" Anna echoed him. That was sort of a strange name for a stuffed animal. But she couldn't argue that it did have a nice, strong ring to it. _Vera._ It rolled out of her lips nicely._

_ Tatara nodded. "Of Latin origin, the name means 'truth' or 'faith'. So although Honami-sensei is gone, you can still continue to have faith in her and believe. Right?"_

_ The corners of Anna's lips drew up slightly and she nodded her head just a fraction. "Yes, it's a pretty name."_

_ "A pretty name for a pretty bunny." Tatara sang out as he reached into the depths of his pocket for something. "Thus, it is only befitting if it is given a pretty ribbon as well. See?"_

_ He tied something onto the bunny for a moment before presenting it to Anna. A bright red silk ribbon had been tied around the bunny's neck. The bow bounced up and down in a dainty manner with every movement._

_ "I was going to give it to you, Anna, but Izumo-san insisted that you already had plenty of bows with your outfit and he was afraid that people would mistaken you for a wrapped gift."_

_ Anna hooked her arm around Vera and then leaned into Tatara's shoulder to rest upon it. "Thank you, Tatara. It's pretty…. Everything is."_

She woke up with a start and sat up against her pillows. It was a dream. No, not a dream—a memory. Because it had been real before.

Her heart was beating a little faster than normal and she hugged Vera tightly to her torso in an attempt to calm down. Her Strain powers easily got out of control if either or both her emotional and physical state weren't well.

She grabbed the red marbles sitting on her side table and fiddled with them.

After ten restless minutes, Anna decided to try Izumo's room. He'd been staying at the bar instead of his mansion otherwise Anna would be by herself. She knew that he'd been meaning to ask her to live with him but changed his mind. After all, he didn't want to take Anna out of the environment she had always lived in. The bar, Homra, held too many memories for her, both inside and outside her room.

She draped a red shawl over her shoulders since her plain rosy nightgown couldn't seem to keep her warm enough these days. Her bare feet padded lightly on the chilly floorboards as she held Vera in her hands. In the middle of the hallway, she paused at a certain room that she had often visited before. She remembered how it always used to radiate heat and warmth. Now, it was empty and quite cold. Anna shivered and continued down the hallway.

Finally reaching her destination, she saw light peeking out under the crack of the door. It was already early morning though. Was Izumo still awake at this time? Anna quietly knocked on the door and waited for a whole minute with no reply before deciding to enter the room anyways.

"Izumo?" Anna whispered as she crept into his room. The only light came from the small lamp that was sitting on the bed side table where Izumo was sleeping.

She reached him and was about to climb onto his bed when she saw the distressed look on the young man's face. There were beads of sweat forming on his skin as he muttered incoherently. He tossed his head from side to side, grasping tightly onto his bed sheets.

Based on Anna's many experiences, she knew the bartender was having a terrible nightmare. One that wouldn't be so easy to wake up from. She grabbed his sleeve and started tugging on it hard. "Izumo, you're having a nightmare. Wake up, it's just a bad dream! Wake up, please!"

When he wouldn't open his eyes, Anna pulled herself on his bed and climbed on top of him. Following her instincts, she gently wrapped her thin arms around his neck for a tight hug. Suddenly, everything blacked out.

"_What a pain." A tall guy with fiery red hair said as he glared at another man with shades. "How come _you_ get to live while the two of us had to die a terrible death, huh?"_

_Anna's eyes widened at the sight before her. It was late at night and the air was freezing. Although she couldn't feel the temperature for some unknown reason, she knew it was cold because she could see puffs of her own breath. Standing a few feet away, her red king was facing off with Izumo. It almost looked like a confrontation._

"_Mikoto, please…" A slim man with shades said pleadingly. "If I had known… I just—I mean, I thought that—"_

"_You thought what?" Mikoto grunted. "That I would live? That _he_ would live?"_

_He nudged something at the bottom of his feet and Anna noticed it was a body. She gasped and brought a hand to her mouth as she realized that it was Tatara's body._

"_You're such a stupid man, Izumo." The king continued with a nasty smirk on his face. "I don't know why I had you as my second in command. I thought I could trust you. Heh, guess I was wrong. In reality, you were just sitting back and relaxing as I did most of the work."_

"_No!" Izumo shook his head. "That's not true! Believe me, I tried my best…."_

_Mikoto chuckled bitterly. "But your best just wasn't good enough. You should be ashamed of yourself. It should have been you who died—not Tatara. At least he helped me control my powers. I—"_

"_Who are you?" Anna finally said. At first, she wasn't sure if they could see or hear her in this dream. But it looked like they could because they turned to look in her direction when she spoke up._

"_Anna?!" Izumo exclaimed in surprise._

"_Stupid brat." Mikoto snarled at her. She flinched a little because she wasn't used to her king being so crude. Wait, this was all a dream though. A nightmare. _Izumo's_ nightmare to be exact. This wasn't real!_

"_Tatara died because of you too! Many years ago, you foresaw his death. And all you did was keep quiet about it. His death and mine are your fault as well. Useless Strain!"_

_Anna froze as his words pierced her heart like ice shards. In a way, he was right… If only she had done something. If only…. She shook her head furiously to get rid of the negative thoughts._

"_You're not Mikoto." She looked at the imposter straight in the eyes. "Mikoto is dead."_

_She winced at her own words but continued on. Just because her king and her prince were no longer there, didn't mean that she was so weak and defenseless. No—Anna was the strong and proud princess of Homra._

"_Our King wouldn't speak to Izumo and me like the way you are. You have no red aura, so I know that you are not the Red King. And I know that you are not real." She said with each step she took towards Izumo's side. When she finally reached him, she grabbed his hand and proceeded to glare at the fake person opposite of them. "Because Mikoto wanted to die."_

_With those words, Tatara's body faded into the darkness and the imposter standing before them disappeared with a flash of light._

"Anna…."

She groaned softly as a pair of hands gently shook her shoulders.

"Anna, wake up."

She gasped and opened her eyes to Izumo leaning over her. She saw the worry in his amber eyes give way to relief.

"Don't scare me like that next time, you hear?"

"I'm sorry, Izumo." Anna said quietly before touching the man's cheek. "Are you okay?"

"Eh?" He said as he laid down next to her, bringing up the blanket to cover them. "Of course I am. Why do you ask?"

Anna turned her body to the side so she could face Izumo properly. "Izumo and Tatara told me that I mustn't keep my personal feelings all bottled up because it would only hurt me. You said that it was all right if I had to say something because you and everyone else would always listen to me whenever I needed someone."

"That's right." He smiled at her. But Anna could see the slightest quiver in his cheeks and that was all she needed to know that his smiles were strained and unhappy.

"So Izumo needs to do the same." She touched his cheek and rubbed it gingerly with the pad of her thumb. "I saw your dream. I didn't mean to, but I did by accident. You have... 'survivor's guilt'."

"What are you talking about?" Izumo chuckled. But it sounded more like a sob to her.

"I could feel the weight of your burden. It was painful." Anna said. "It's hard to let go, I know. You don't need to put up a strong front. You don't need to act like you're fine when you're not."

"I… I don't know what you're talking about…." He murmured. Without those tinted glasses to cover his eyes, Anna could see the ambers in them were too shiny and glossier than normal.

She moved her body a little higher on the bed and pulled the man's face to her chest, resting her chin atop his head. Her delicate hands petted his hair soothingly, similar to how Tatara would whenever he comforted her after she had a bad dream. "It's okay, Izumo. You can cry."

Almost as if on cue, two fat drops of tears escaped the corners of his eyes and streamed down the sides of his face. Following those two came a torrent of a thousand more tears.

They traveled down fast, soaking the crispy sheets they were lying upon. The choked sobs racked the poor man's body and Anna closed her eyes, letting the broken bartender pour all of his heart out. They wouldn't speak of this to anyone. Not even to each other. Because they knew that they didn't need to.

"Everything's going to be fine." He cried out quietly. She knew that he wasn't just trying to assure her, but also his self. "Everything's going to be fine. It just has to..."

"Yes..." She whispered, and continued to slowly comb her fingers through the soft strands of his hair. The question was: _when?_

"Anna is such a good girl…." Izumo mumbled tiredly as he snuggled closer to her. "But you see too much for your age…."

"…. Yes… I miss them too…."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Reviews are much appreciated! Thank you :D


	3. Chapter 2: The Princess's Wish

Disclaimer: _I do not own the anime, manga, or novels of K. K is officially owned by GoRa/GoHands. I do not own any of their characters._

_Author's Note: __Just in case you guys don't know yet (although I'm guessing that you do), whenever there are __**paragraphs**__ that are italicized then that means a flashback or a dream is occurring._

K: Preserving the Blaze of Your Red

By: TCOOKIES777

Chapter 2: If I Could

_She was floating peacefully… quietly. There was no sound in her dream, only the soft kisses of the cool breeze against her bare arms and legs. When Anna opened her eyes, she almost thought she was in heaven because of the puffy clouds all around her. She felt the suns warm rays pressing against her back._

_As she took in her surroundings, a moment later, she realized in surprise that she could see colors! There were golden hues of purple and red, puffs of blue, and small glares of green. It was as if she was within a rainbow itself!_

_Closing her eyes, she let out a sigh, content that her dream this time was a peaceful one._

_ Just as quick, she opened them in time to find her radiant surroundings become a blur all of a sudden. It was like watching one of Tatara's videos being fast forwarded. When she blinked, she found a huge slab of rock looming right in front of her._

_ But it wasn't just any piece of rock. No, Anna knew immediately what it was. She'd seen it many times before when she was still in the Institution being forced to become the Blue King by Mizuchi. The center of the slab had a circle carved in. Outside of the circle were rectangular-like patterns that almost looked like a maze or puzzle. There were strange symbols and writings scratched within the empty spaces left._

_ The Dresden Slate._

_ From her time when she was being 'hospitalized' in the Institution, she had heard rumors from the researchers and scientists there about its mysterious power that often manifested within various living beings. Beings such as herself—which classified some people and animals as 'Strains'. And sometimes it materialized in even more special people called 'Kings'._

_ Why was she dreaming of the slate?_

_ '_Anna Kushina…' _A mixture of voices softly whispered in the back of her mind._

_ The child whipped her head side to side in an attempt to find the person who had just spoken. Then she paused and turned to face the mystical rock that had suddenly shifted itself to below her feet. Now she was standing upon it._

_ "You…." Anna's eyes widened in astonishment. "Did you…talk just now?"_

'Anna Kushina' _was all it said. She guessed that was a 'yes' to her question._

_ "How can you..?" She struggled to find her words but she was completely speechless. Nobody in the Institute had mentioned anything about this! Was she the first one to discover its ability to communicate?_

"I am divine power." It_ said. Well that answered everything for her…._

_ "How do you know my name?" Anna asked cautiously. Honami and Izumo had always taught her to no interact so carelessly with strangers. She assumed that that included mystical objects as well. And if this was a trick or someone outside was playing with her mind.. possibly another Strain even…._

"I know everything." _The Slate stated. _"Even before Time itself began. Before the universe was created. I know everything. I was the one who granted you—and a million others—power."

_"You made me a Strain?" Anna asked quietly. This _thing_ talking telepathically in her mind was the one who _destroyed_ her precious life? Just by giving her abnormal power?_

"Yes." _It whispered back. "_But I did not 'destroy' your life. Destiny played its card after I did."

_Anna knew that it was right in some way. She just wanted, no—needed—someone—something—to blame for all the tragedies that she was forced to suffer._

_ "Is this… real?" Anna muttered. Of course, her psychic power allowed her to see that it was._

"Yes." _The Slate answered anyways._

_ "Why are you here?" Anna asked. Honestly, she was quite curious and more than suspicious as to why this powerful object that could make beings to gods was conversing with her._

_ The Dresden Slate didn't respond back for a while and Anna almost thought that its presence had left her until the voices echoed in her head once more. _"To offer you power."

_ "Power?" She repeated in surprise. It wanted to give her _more_ power? It already knew that the very power it granted her years ago was part of what caused her to have a sad childhood. She felt her cheeks puff up a little in frustration and irritation. "I have had a lot of people die… because of the power you gave to them. I am one of those who do not wish for more."_

"Change history." _It said slightly louder in her mind. If Anna knew any better, she would have thought that it was almost like it was trying to… tempt her._

_ Anna frowned in confusion. "What?"_

"Do you want to change history, young one?" _The Slate murmured._

_ The frown on her face only deepened even more. This was probably the most intense frown she had ever given. "What do you mean?"_

_ A split second later, realization dawned upon the intelligent girl. "Are you… trying to say that I—I can bring back… Tatara and Mikoto? Is that what you mean when you say 'change history'?"_

"… Yes, if that is what you want."

_She tightly clutched the folds of her nightgown and nodded her head frantically. She could bring back Tatara and Mikoto! Then Homra would be complete again! Everyone would be happy and laughing just like the good old days. Izumo wouldn't have to be so sad anymore either!_

"_Yes!" Anna cried out desperately. It was the loudest her voice had been ever since Mikoto's death at the school's island. "Yes, give me back Mikoto and Tatara—please! I want them back. Please… bring them back to life for me. For all of Homra, please revive Tatara and Mikoto!"_

_ Once again, the Dresden Slate remained silent for a few seconds. _"I cannot bring them back to life, little one. A life that has been lost is one that cannot be found. The universal law restricts my divine power from stepping over those boundaries. It is a law that even I must respect and abide by."

_"B-but…" Anna sputtered over her words. "You just told me that you could bring back Tatara and Mikoto!"_

"I can." _It said calmly. "There are other ways to regain a lost loved one."_

_ "What?" Anna cried out and was about to stomp her foot angrily on the Slate but stopped. Other ways..? Understanding unfolded neatly in her mature mind. And her wine colored eyes widened into saucers. Her mouth straightened into a thin, firm line and she looked directly at the center of the rock._

_ "I know what I want." She whispered._

_ The Slate acknowledged her statement and said quietly, "_What is your wish, child?"

_She closed her eyes and slowly took a deep breath._

_ Was this all possible? If she brought back Tatara and Mikoto, would Izumo smile again? Would Yata stop bullying the others? Would Kamamoto eat more like he always used to? Would Fushimi come back even? Well, she wasn't exactly sure about that but.. it couldn't hurt to hope. Would there be more cuddles and naps with her king? Would she be able to see everyone's red again, including Mikoto's prettiness?_

_ Yes._

_ If Anna could, then she would. She would prove to her clansmen that she was their strong and proud princess of the powerful red clan. She would unite Homra and with Tatara, Mikoto, and everyone else, they would continue to make many more happy memories together. Just like Tatara had always promised.  
"Tell me, Slate," She muttered. "What is the cost that I must pay for my wish?"_

_ Anna was still a young girl. But she had been granted the gift of extreme perception. Thus, she knew many things that a twelve year old girl wasn't supposed to know at her young age. She was intelligent and very clever even though her fragile appearance said otherwise. So she wasn't going to be fooled so easily either._

"You are wise, little girl." _It replied back. _"However, I cannot announce the cost right now. I need time to determine it later. But the time will come for me to collect the payment. And you must prepare yourself for when it does. You will know when…."

_ "… Okay." Her dark eyes that could see so much finally opened and she gazed at the slate waiting before her. "Then this is what I want: I wish to go back in time. Go back to before Tatara died."_

"… As you wish." _The Slate responded softly. Suddenly, it started to glow a bright and radiant mixture of colors of the color spectrum. "However, there is one rule that you _must_ follow, no matter what. Whatever you do, child, _do not_ tell anyone that you are from the future. If you do, then there will be dire consequences."_

_ Violent chills and vibrations shook Anna's small body like a rag doll. She hugged her arms and looked around wildly for a moment before calming down and glancing back at the mysterious rock beneath her. "I want to ask something first. Why… why me?"_

_ The Dresden Slate underneath her feet started to fade away. Before it vanished from her sight completely, she heard it whisper quietly in the recesses of her mind. _"Because if it's you… then it's possible…."

_Pain exploded from behind her eyes as the Slate, without warning, flared up all of a sudden. Everything was brighter than the sun and as she raised her hands up to shield her eyes, she felt her consciousness begin to quickly slip._

"What are you doing?" A deep voice asked her. It sounded so… familiar.

She opened her eyes slowly and rubbed at them before tilting her head up. There, standing before her in all of his bored glory, was her king.

"_Mikoto…._" She whispered as tears pricked her eyes. Before she knew what she was doing, she ran as fast as her small legs could carry her and launched herself at the red king, crying out in happiness, "_Mikoto!_"

"Mikoto! Mikoto! Mikoto!" She pressed her face against his warm torso, smelling his personal scent of smoke, cigarettes, and soap as her arms came up to tightly hug him.

"Ah?" He said in the same lazy voice which was laced with surprise. "What's going on?"

"You're here." Anna sighed as the tears continued racing down her cheeks like rain. "You're actually here…."

She felt him pause and place a hand on her head. "… Did something happen?"

"You—" Anna stopped. Oh, right, she couldn't say a word about anything in the future. She stepped back but just enough so she could still smell his scent. "Nothing… I just….."

Voices from downstairs interrupted her thinking. Wait, she was _upstairs_ with Mikoto in front of her. All of this… happened before.

_"What are you doing?" Mikoto asked her as she stood at the top of the stairs._

_ She blushed a little and a shy smile graced the princess's lips. "I… don't think I should go downstairs for a while."_

_ The little girl left the confused king and hurried to her room so she could give her fellow clansmen privacy as they made preparations for their little princess's surprise birthday party._

That's right! This was exactly the day before her birthday—meaning tonight was Tatara's death. _Tatara_….

"_Tatara!_" Anna gasped before letting abruptly letting go of Mikoto. She turned around and ran down the stairs two at a time. As she descended, she saw Izumo at his usual place cleaning his glasses with a content grin on his face. Nearby were a group of her clansmen clustered at a table as they discussed what they were going to do for the celebration.

There was Yata, Kamamoto, Chitose, Dewa, Bando, Shohei, Fujishima, Eric, and… _Tatara!_

_ "Tatara!" _Anna cried out, and felt her foot trip over the last step. The ground flew at her and she braced for impact. But it never came.

"Anna?! What's wrong? Are you okay?" A worried voice asked her. She peeked up to find Tatara holding her in his arms. His brows were furrowed in confusion and worry.

"Tatara! It's really you!" Anna sniffed and grasped the front of his long-sleeved shirt so she could bury her face in it. "You're here! You're really here….. This is real….."

"Anna?!" She heard Yata say. "W-wait, you—you didn't hear what we were saying just now, right?"

Oh, that's right. They were planning her birthday party, and she wasn't supposed to know about it. She felt her mouth tug up at the irony. "No, Yata-san, I… didn't hear anything."

"Ah, is that so?" Yata sighed in relief.

"Y-yeah!" Kamamoto spoke up. "We were just, uh, talking about what we're cooking for dinner! Nothing special, nothing special at all!"

"Idiot!" She heard Yata hit Kamamoto in the head.

Tatara pulled back from Anna so he could get a good look at her. When he noticed the wet cheeks, and red, teary eyes, he clicked his tongue and gently wiped the remains of her tears away with his hand. "Anna, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

"That's what I asked her…."

Before she could speak, she felt a powerful presence join them in the room. Everyone bowed respectfully and shouted, "Good morning, King!"

She rubbed her eyes and tilted her head up to find Mikoto towering over her with a bored expression on his face. But she knew by the look in his eyes that he was concerned with her.

"It's nothing." She murmured and stepped back to try and compose herself. It was useless though, she couldn't calm down. Anyone who knew her could tell from how she fidgeted with her Lolita dress that the girl was upset over something.

"If it's nothing, then why are you acting as if you haven't seen me or Tatara for over a century?" The king grunted.

_Because you died…._

"Anna," Tatara said gingerly as he grasped her hand and led her to the table where her clansmen smiled welcomingly at her. "If something is bothering you, then it's okay to tell us. We're family—we take care of each other no matter what. Right guys?"

"Yeah!" The other men yelled in agreement.

"This is Homra. If you've got a problem, then it's everyone's problem…. You don't have to bottle up your feelings anymore." Mikoto softly muttered to her before turning to Izumo for breakfast.

Anna took a deep breath and stole a glance at each of her clansmen.

"You see, I'm… I'm from the—" Wait. No, she couldn't say it. She couldn't say that she was from the future.

_However, there is one rule that you _must_ follow, no matter what. Whatever you do, child, _do not_ tell anyone that are from the future. If you do, then will be dire consequences._

She didn't know what those consequences were, but instincts told her that it was going to be a fate worse than death itself.

So instead, she pulled a small smile and looked back up at Tatara. Her fingers trembled but she wasn't sure why. "I'm just… happy. Tomorrow, I'm turning thirteen—ah, I mean, _eleven_ years old."

"Right!" Chitose laughed. "You're a step closer to becoming a fine young lady. A few more years from now and you can marry—ouch!"

Yata and Dewa had whacked his head again.

"Actually…" Anna paused and tugged on Tatara's sleeve. "There's something that I really want for my birthday, no matter what. If I can have it, then I won't ask for anything more ever again, I promise."

"You're such an honest girl, Anna." Bando praised her with a shake of his head.

"It's fine, it's fine! Anna is a good girl who rarely asks for anything." Tatara rubbed the child's head soothingly as he smiled at her. "Whatever it is, we of Homra will do everything in our power to make it happen!"

The princess peered up at the carefree man holding her in his lap. Everyone listened in as she whispered her wish quietly, "I want to spend time together with everyone—with Tatara and Mikoto. With all of Homra, I want to create many more happy memories in the future for us to cherish."

Mikoto glanced at her for a second before turning back to eat his breakfast as everyone stared at her in surprise.

"… Is that what Anna wants?" Izumo asked from behind his counter. He wasn't the only person with a bewildered expression on his face. "That's… pretty simple."

"Yes." She nodded furiously. "That's what I want."

"Are you sure you don't want a bag of snacks and candy?" Kamamoto asked while munching on his bag of chips.

"I don't think that's the ideal birthday gift, Kamamoto-san…" Dewa said.

"I can find a kitty for you." Fujishima offered.

Izumo waved a dishcloth at him. "No! No more strays, you hear?!"

"Pendant…." Eric muttered.

Shohei raised a brow at him. "Are you into jewelry or something?"

"I want to be together with everyone." Anna repeated softly.

"Well, if that is the wish of our princess," Tatara lightly kissed the back of her hand. "Then so be it. Though, I think that's what we do every day, right everybody?"

They enthusiastically pumped their fists up in the air with a "yeah!"

After making sure that the she was all right ad that she wasn't hurt, they went back to their business—which meant pretending that they were just doing their everyday stuff when in reality they were secretly continuing their plans for her surprise birthday party.

Mikoto finished eating and passed by her slowly, doing his own evaluation to determine whether or not she was truly fine. Then he went to the couch and laid down for a quick nap. It was just Anna and Tatara at the table now.

"But Anna," Tatara observed her closely. She only grasped his sleeve tighter and placed her head on his shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay? Somehow… you seem… different?"

"Mikoto's here. Tatara's here. And Izumo is happy." Anna sighed and closed her eyes. It worked. The Slate truly did grant her wish. "Everyone's here… Really, I couldn't be any happier."

"Ah, is that so?" Tatara smiled at the child in his arms. He brought her to the sofa next to their King and laid her down with him. Wrapping themselves with his blanket, Tatara made sure that the girl was safe and warm with him as they snuggled closer together.


	4. Chapter 3: The Enchanting Nightmare

Disclaimer: _I do not own the anime, manga, or novels of K. K is officially owned by GoRa/GoHands. I do not own any of their characters. If I did, then the ending would've been so much more happy than the official one._

_Author's Note: __Just in case you guys don't know yet (although I'm guessing that you do), whenever there are __**paragraphs**__ that are italicized then that means a flashback or a dream is occurring._

K: Preserving the Blaze of Your Red

By: TCOOKIES777

**Chapter 3: Was It All a Dream?**

_ December._

_ The weather was freezing cold. She was supposed to be shivering but the power within her provided comforting warmth as if she had an internal furnace. And yet, snow lightly fell from the sky like the cold kisses from an angel as her soft breaths drew up in white clouds. That's how Anna knew it was December. Because no season was as unforgiving and all the more mysterious as winter was._

_ And then her ears perked up. There was something out there with her…. No—_someone._ Who could be out here on a rooftop during a cold winter night like this? She strained to hear more as came closer. There was someone humming a song. Was that Ode to Joy?_

_ The tune was familiar to her because Tatara had once attempted to play the masterpiece on a violin he had just bought for his new hobby. The only music that came out though was screeching which had Izumo kicking him out of the bar since he was scaring off customers._

_ Eventually, she reached the source of the tune being hummed. Leaning on the rail before her was a young man with snow white hair way brighter than her pale strands. His lean figure proved to her that he was only still a teenager and not a grown man._

_ She felt her hands pull something up to her chest and Anna realized that it was a camera. In fact, it looked very familiar to her. She knew she'd seen it countless times before._

"December seventh, 11:45 p.m_." She felt her mouth talking. But what came out wasn't her soft voice. It was the voice of a man. And she knew it too. It was a voice that had comforted her whenever she had nightmares, or when she couldn't speak up for herself. It was the beautiful voice of someone she loved so dearly._

"Hey, it's a nice night out."_ Tatara continued speaking nonchalantly. Anna tried to move the legs that didn't belong to her but it was like she was stuck in his body watching everything through his eyes. _"I came here to take pictures of the nighttime view, but what are you doing here?"

_ By this time, the boy had stopped humming. She thought that it was already creepy before, but now the dead silence only made things even worse. Warning bells signaled off in her consciousness as she felt a cold chill that didn't come from the weather run down her spine. He leaned away from the railing._

_ "I'm Tatara Totsuka." The corners of her mouth—no, Tatara's mouth—pull up in a welcoming smile for the mysterious man. "What's your name?"_

_**Run away, **__she thought__**. Tatara, no, you have to get away from him! Run, Tatara run! He's going to kill—**_

__**Bang.**

_ Dropping the precious camera, she collapsed onto the floor. As she curled up into a fetal position, she realized that she was in her own body this time. She had seemingly replaced Tatara who was no longer in sight._ _The boy smiled maniacally with a crazed look in his dark amber eyes as he continued to point the gun at Anna. _**"I am the seventh king, the Colorless King!"**

_She could hear her small heart pounding against her chest almost painfully. Anna wondered if the boy could hear it too. Or was he too busy smirking in all of his glory and success?_

**"A nice night you say?"** _From the corner of her eyes, he waved his hands in the air dramatically as if he was acting in an opera addressing to an imaginary audience. She heard the snow white haired boy laugh darkly. _**"Indeed it is…."**

_Another gunshot echoed next to her. Her ears rang severely for a while as she laid on her side frozen in shock. A few seconds later, she moved onto her back as slowly as possible to reduce the pain in her abdomen. Pain? Couldn't she feel nothing before? Now, she could feel everything. From the feverish burning in her body to the bite of the freezing weather._

_ A small, shaking hand carefully touched the wet spot blooming on her rosy nightgown like a flower. It was an ugly dark red. Her image of a flower was ruined as more blood spread onto the thin dress, giving it more of an appearance of a blob. She could feel more of the red beginning to pool underneath her broken body. It tainted her pure albino hair and stained the tiny tips of her delicate fingers._

_ Anna knew that blood was supposed to be warm. So, why was her blood so cold… like ice? Ah… because it's December._

_ Lifting a quivering arm up above her head, she curiously inspected her red hands. Drops of the color streamed down her pale arm. I can't tell if this is real… or not, she thought faintly. This can't be real. And yet, why am I in pain? Why does it hurt so badly? Tatara, am I dying? Or am I already dead…._

_ Is this my punishment for not being able to save you, Tatara? I'm sorry… I am so.. sorry.. everyone…._

_ Something bubbled next to her all of a sudden. From the corner of her glazed eyes, she saw thousands of drops of her blood lifting up in midair just above her head. They shifted together to form various sizes of what appeared to be red marbles. A hundred or so marbles made of her blood and power. They glistened and shined under the beautiful night sky._

_ Anna squinted her eyes at them critically and then softly gasped._

_ Memories. In every single blood marble was a fond memory of everyone in Homra. She watched each and every one of them from her cold spot on the ground._

_ In one of them, she saw herself doodling a childish drawing of a flower on Mikoto's face as he slept. Then, there was Tatara baking cookies with her along with Izumo's help. Yata was chiding Kamamoto for eating the dough. Off to her right, there was a memory of her and Mikoto going on their 'date' since everyone had left to go fishing for the day. She smiled a little at that. Another memory showed the baseball game they had some years before. Anna hadn't exactly participated in the game herself. But she enjoyed watching her boys have so much fun, especially Mikoto who was proud of his homerun._

_ And then she saw herself feeding a forkful of home baked red velvet cake to her king. Everyone was crowding around a couch wishing Mikoto a happy birthday and presenting him his presents. Tatara was encouraging her to feed the king his cake herself. Even Mikoto was smiling warmly at her as she sat before him._

_Then, there was that time when Homra had gone to the beach during the summer. She somewhat wondered how the boy from the cave was doing now. A marble floating directly in front of her face showed riding a huge horse. Oh, Basashi, the strain, she thought. Can you fly now? Another blood marble stole her attention. She was stuck—weel, not exactly stuck—between two machines and Saruhiko was trying to free her… unsuccessfully. No matter what, she told herself, Saruhiko will always be one of Homra._

_A marble at the corner caught her eye. Mikoto was holding onto Munakata of Scepter Four. She saw the blade sticking out of his back, glinting under the snowy sky. And yet, Mikoto's expression was so satisfied. He was at peace. This is wrong, she thought. It's not a happy ending for any of us, Mikoto._

**Sorry, Anna… I won't be able to show you that lovely red anymore….**

_ "Don't go…" She whispered softly. "No, don't leave me! Not again, please…"_

_ The memory faded away to a new one. Tatara was on the rooftop where she was lying on right now. He introduced himself before the boy turned and shot him. Anna gasped but couldn't take her eyes off the marble. She saw Tatara bleeding by himself, exactly like her right now, as he called Izumo with all the strength he had left._

**Tell Anna… I don't think I can wish her happy birthday….**

_Cracks spidered all over her blood marble before it shattered into the harsh and unforgiving night._

"Ah? Birthday?" Mikoto paused in the middle of his drinking. Sitting beside him was Tatara who shot a glance back at the girl sleeping soundly on the sofa.

"Yep! Yep!" He turned back to the king. "So the plan is that all of Homra's members will give her a rose that day!"

"Make sure to congratulate her." Izumo added in from behind his counter as he routinely polished his wine glasses.

"In honesty, I wanted to make it more of a mature party" Tatara mused happily. "But then they were like 'let's make a giant cake'… but we have to wait five years for that and all!"

Izumo quickly hand chopped him from across the counter before continuing his admiring of the glass in his hands. "That's why I wanted them to stop it…."

"Well, let's celebrate in our own style!" Tatara said enthusiastically. "Right, King?"

Mikoto opened his mouth to mumble back an answer when the drink in his hands suddenly floated up into the air. It stopped a few feet above the counter and shook violently before shattering to pieces. Water showered down at the men with their mouths gaped open in surprise—excluding Mikoto who was frowning in either irritation or confusion.

Tatara was the first to respond. He blinked his eyes before checking the other two. "What just happened? Hey, are you both all right?"

"King!" Izumo cried out and grasped the sides of his head "What was that for?! Oh, my precious bar!"

"That wasn't me." Mikoto told the panicking bartender. His brows were furrowed deeply together. "Didn't you see that there were no flames?"

Grabbing a broom and a dustpan, Izumo walked around to clean up the glass shards. Tatara obtained a cloth and began to wipe at the spreading water on the counter along with Mikoto.

"Then who did it?" Izumo said exasperatingly. "Because surely cups and drinks don't just suddenly float in midair all by themselves. Somebody—"

**"Uh… he.. lp…."** A small voice softly cried out a few feet away. The three men turned around to look at Anna who was still asleep. Though, this time, she was shaking uncontrollably as she gave short gasps of breaths.

Being the first one to react, Tatara dropped the cloth and scrambled over to the princess in distress. Kneeling on the couch, he pulled the tangled blankets off of the girl. "Anna! Anna, it's only a nightmare. Remember what I told you before. It's just a dream. Nothing is real."

"Totsuka, look…." Izumo quietly said behind him.

Tatara turned around with a worried look on his face. "Anna is—whoa!"

All of the objects in the room were rising up and floating precariously now. It was as if there were invisible strings pulling them up and dangling them playfully. Mikoto was frowning and rubbing the back of his head while Izumo all around in awe.

"Is this… Anna's doing?" Mikoto asked.

Before anyone could answer, the bell at the door tinkled as Yata and the rest of the excited Homra gang walked in with all sorts of shopping bags and groceries in their hands.

"Hey, we're back!" Yata announced. The men placed their bags on the counter and started pulling out various items and materials for the surprise birthday party. "We got a lot of stuff! There's plenty of red frosting to use for the cake! Where do you want us to…. Hah?! What the hell happened to all the furniture around here?!"

"They're… up there." Izumo pointed upwards for them. They all followed his direction and glanced at the ceiling.

"Eh?!" Kamamoto's jaw dropped open as did the rest of the guys including quiet Eric. "Is this the doing of a ghost? Oh, Ghost-sama, we are only humble men! P-please, don't hurt us! We've done nothing wrong! Well, there was that one time when I ate Chitose's crackers—"

"Idiot!" Yata whacked him before backing up to behind Kamamoto who was being stared at accusingly by Chitose himself. "T-there's n-n-no such thing as g-g-g-g-g-ghosts! This must be some kind of magic trick Totsuka-san is practicing for Anna. Right, Totsuka-san?"

"Heh, you're such a pussycat, Yata." Eric teased him in his fluent English.

Yata was about to tell him off when a bottle of expensive whiskey smacked the back of his head. He instinctively powered his fist with flames but remembered that the liquid was alcohol which was dangerously flammable. Not to mention he didn't want to get in trouble with Izumo. The bottle continued over to Tatara who pulled it out of the way.

"This isn't a magic trick, guys." Tatara reached up and grabbed a plate slowly flying by their heads. "We're not the ones doing this…"

Mikoto started towards the little girl still resting on the couch but a chair came and blocked his way. Growling, he grabbed it and set it aside. He took another step before several more objects cut off his path again. As a lazy man in his spare time, the mighty king was tempted to just burn all the items floating around to clear the way. But then he would only get an earful from his second-in-command, Izumo.

"Totsuka-san?" Dewa looked at him in confusion. They had begun to help Izumo and Tatara extract the items dangerously zooming around the place like they had a mind of their own.

A whimper filled with suffering cut through the moment. "**No… please.. don't…."**

"Eh, is Anna here?" Fujishima asked. He looked for their soon-to-be birthday girl but so much stuff kept blocking their paths and view. They would set down one thing only to have another take its place.

"I need to get to her!" Tatara said impatiently. "She was acting weird earlier, remember? Right now, she's having a nightmare. And if her nightmare is bad enough, you know what happens when she loses control... Come on, we need to hurry and wake Anna up!"

"And that doesn't include burning my place down either!" Izumo warned Yata who quickly put down his bat.

They all ditched the idea of cleaning up the gravity reversed place and instead resorted to using the hovering furniture and miscellaneous items as stepping stones for themselves in order to reach their princess. But the objects kept intercepting them like they were trying to shield the men from saving their sleeping princess. What dream could be so terrible that it forced her subconscious to tap into her Strain powers to physically barricade her?

Mikoto tsked and ran straight into the fray with his arms up and covering his face from the hard stuff soaring around hazardously. A thick red aura surrounded him and all the other clansmen like a shield. He pummeled his way through as if he were a preying lion thundering down the golden plains.

"Careful, King!" Izumo called out before a bottle of wine from Greece knocked the shades off his face. Groaning, he saved the bottle first and then his glasses second. "Don't forget what happened to Totsuka when he tried to wake Anna the first time she had a nightmare this bad!"

"This is Anna's doing?!" Bando exclaimed. He was wearing his glasses crookedly and a bruise was forming on the edge of his jaw from a pot of flowers that he hadn't seen coming towards him.

A cat suddenly screeched and hissed out of nowhere amongst all the turmoil.

Izumo paused and narrowed his eyes, scanning the whole chaotic area. "Did I just hear what I thought I heard?! _Fu-ji-shi-__**ma**__?_"

Fujishima quickly took the cat and tucked it safely away in a box somewhere in the corner. The cat started floating upward as well and Fujishima wrestled with gravity to inconspicuously place the little furball down. "It… must have followed me in here…?"

"When this is over—_ow! _Ah, goddamnit!"

"All this is making me hungry…." Kamamoto grabbed a rice ball that had happened to be floating his way.

"King! Are you almost there?" Tatara asked from somewhere in the midst of the chaos. He tried pushing his way through similar to Mikoto's method but as one of the weakest in the clan, he just wasn't strong enough.

Mikoto shoved a lamp out of the way and bulldozed through several tables before catching a glimpse of albino hair hanging over the only couch still touching the hardwood floor. He built up his aura more after taking a bruising hit from behind. A minute later, the king stood before the sleeping princess. Somehow, he was safe being in the center of the pandemonium. It was like being at the very core of a tornado—not that he knew what that was like—where there was nothing flying around. "I've got her."

"Thank goodness!" Relief sounded in Tatara's voice. "Don't touch her yet! We don't know if the physical contact from outside the body may trigger. Her subconscious might sense your power and identify you as a threat."

"If it's her subconscious then why would it attack us?" Dewa asked from somewhere in the bar. "Shouldn't her subconscious know that we're her comrades?"

"A person's subconscious is based off one's purely primitive instincts." Izumo answered with a grunt. "And all the more reason for her subconscious to act aggressively if Anna is having difficulty telling a nightmare from what's reality."

"So what do I do?" Mikoto rubbed the back of his neck. He wanted to hurry up and wake the poor girl from her misery but Tatara was right; who knew what would happen?

"You…" Tatara declared in a serious voice. "Need to sing her a lullaby."

An immediate hush possessed the whole bar.

"…." Mikoto frowned again. "_What?_"

"A lullaby?" Izumo echoed.

"Yes, a lullaby." Tatara insisted as he continued his arduous journey to his little princess. "Even in the deepest sleep, the subconscious allows the person to hear from the outside world. Children love being played lullabies as it soothing to hear and calm them down."

"Come on, Mikoto-san!" Yata cheered his king on with a pumped fist in the air. "You can do it! We believe in you! It's just a song."

Mikoto sighed and glanced down at Anna. There was a small crease between her thin brows and her lips were pulled into what looked like a grimace. Her hands were gripping the pillow so hard; he could see the bright whites of her knuckles against her pale skin. "…. I don't know any lullabies…."

"Eh?!" His clansmen shouted in surprise.

Someone cleared their throat and began singing in a shaky, off-tune voice.

_Hush-a-by Anna_

_On the tree top_

_When the wind blows_

_The cradle will rock_

_Then the King comes_

_And his aura will stop_

_Little Anna from falling_

_Off the red top_

"I… don't think that's the right lyrics to that nursery rhyme, Kamamoto." Dewa said.

Kamamoto shrugged his shoulders. "Well, Homra's version sounds a lot better than the original, don't you think?"

"King, how's Anna?" Tatara clambered over a coffee table. His foot caught on the edge and he tumbled down to the ground with a loud thump. He scrunched his face up and rubbed his sore backside muttering softly, "Man, I'm too young to be feeling this old…."

But he knew he was almost there. If he had to get a thousand bruises and cuts all over his body in order to get to Anna, then he would—and a thousand times over if needed.

"Wait for me, Anna, your prince is coming to the rescue…."

"She doesn't look like she'd doing so well…" Mikoto replied. An idea popped up and he held his hand out focusing most of his warm aura to his hand. Then he held his hand over Anna's forehead, getting as close as he would dare without touching her skin.

He could feel a feverish heat coming from the little girl and he wondered if she had a fever or caught a cold somehow. That would've been normal since it was winter but the fact that he, Izumo, and Tatara always made sure that she was nicely bundled whenever they went out contradicted the idea.

"Mikoto…." She whimpered pitifully.

"It's okay." He whispered to her. "I'm here, Anna. Everything's going to be fine."

"Mikoto, look!" Izumo notified him. "Everything's stopped moving."

Mikoto took in his surroundings and saw, that true to Izumo's words, the furniture had stopped flying around and precious brands of alcohol were no longer chasing people's heads. The chairs were frozen in midair as well. It was as if time had just frozen and only Homra could move around freely.

"Well, whatever Mikoto-san did, it worked!" Chitose remarked.

Not a moment after he said that, everything hanging fell down in synchronized fashion. The members of Homra were hopping all over the place, yelping, as they tried to avoid the heaviest stuff from smashing them. When everything had settled down in a fit of dust and some banging and more screaming, dead silence followed.

"Uh, is everyone all right?" Izumo coughed and wiped his grimy glasses with the edge of his shirt. When he looked around, everyone but the king was lying on the floor with their hands held up to protect themselves. "You guys, it's all right now."

They risked a peek and after seeing that they themselves weren't crushed, they sighed in relief and brushed their clothes nonchalantly in an attempt to regain their manly and fierce composure as proud members of Homra.

"Phew!" Shohei wiped a drop of sweat from the temple of his head. "Let's not do this again…."

"It's a wonder no customers walked in during the midst of all the chaos." Eric mused quietly.

"That's because I put up the sign 'closed' for the day so we could prepare Anna's birthday party." Izumo said as he recovered some of his alcohol rolling around the bar's floor.

Tatara touched a bump on his head and winced. "King, is Anna all right?"

"Get over here and work your magic already because I don't know what to do." Mikoto replied grumpily. He was sitting on the floor watching over the distressed girl lying on the couch.

"Everyone, I want you all to keep your distance for now until I say so, you hear?" Tatara strictly told his clansmen.

Yata frowned in confusion. "But everything's back to normal already. Why can't we come with you to help Anna? She's just a little girl."

"And she's also a Strain with powers that may even rival that of a King's if pushed hard enough." Mikoto stated.

Tatara ran over to Anna's side and checked her for any injuries that she might have received during all the pandemonium. "Please, Anna, you need to wake up. Your powers are leaking out. Didn't you tell me that you didn't want anyone to get hurt anymore because of you?"

"Hey, hey," Kamamoto watched a few feet away. "Is she all right? It sounds like she's hyperventilating."

"Should we call an ambulance? It seems like she's having a hard time waking up. You'd think all the noise from earlier would've startled her awake." Chitose opened a first aid kit and began helping the others with their shallow injuries.

Tatara shook his head. "You know she hates being in any buildings that are reminiscent to the Institute. Bringing her there could trigger a bad reaction from her subconscious. Right now, we need to be extra careful. If something is harming her in her dream or stands as a threat in any way, then her subconscious may decide to take action."

"Amazing, Tatara, how do you know all of this?" Bando asked him as he and the rest of the clansmen started setting all of the felled items back to the way they were. With so many hands helping, and the burning determination to hurry up and prepare for the surprise birthday party, they were making quick progress of cleaning up.

"I searched it up after that time I burned my hand trying to wake Anna from the first colossal nightmare she had when she was still new to Homra."

"Hey… don't—that's dangerous, Tatara! " Izumo warned the man who had braved himself to put his hand against the girl's neck.

"It's all right, I'm not hurt. Her pulse is sort of erratic." Tatara murmured. He had a look of deep concentration on his face.

Izumo sighed and stuck a cigarette in his mouth but didn't light it. "Is it really all right to touch her right now? Didn't you say that we didn't know what could happen?"

Tatara placed a cool hand on Anna's forehead gently. "She doesn't seem to have a fever or any of the sorts."

"So why is she acting like this?" Mikoto said tiredly from the couch opposite of Anna. "This only ever happens when she's seriously stressed out."

"Maybe she's stressed out over having to grow up?" Dewa suggested.

Shohei snorted. "I think that's just you, friend."

"Anna!" Tatara gently shook her shoulder with one hand and rubbed her smooth cheek with the other. "Anna, come on, we need you to wake up now! You're... scaring me a little, Anna. Please, wake up now."

It was silent for half a minute before the sleeping princess finally made a sound signaling a healthy response. Everyone let out a breath they never knew they'd been holding.

"_**NO!" **_The little girl screamed abruptly startling everyone. Anna tossed her head side to side as she kicked and screamed at the top of her lungs. "_**Please, no! Tatara! Mikoto! Izumo! Everyone—you can't go! You can't!**_

"Anna?! Anna, calm down!" Tatara got off the couch to avoid her sharp kicks and grabbing her flailing fists, she signaled for Izumo and Mikoto to help him. "She'll hurt herself like this! We need to keep her still and wake her up!"

"What's going on?" Yata started over to assist them but Kamamoto held him back.

"_**Don't leave me…. I can't be alone anymore! Don't leave me again, please! Come… come back!**_**"**

"We're right here, Anna." Mikoto declared aloud. "We're all here. Nobody's going to leave you all by yourself."

Anna stopped and stilled suddenly. Her eyes remained tightly shut and the expression on her face looked like one of pain. A few seconds passed before the three tense men relaxed just the slightest.

Fujishima was the first to say something by whispering, "Is it—"

"_**TATARA!**__**MIKOTO!**__** " **_Anna arched her back and screamed so loud that everyone clapped their hands over their ears. The whole bar started shaking like there was an earthquake. Without warning, she dropped back onto the sofa with a defeated sigh before her whole body went limp. Once again, the bar went still and silent.

"_**Please… don't die….**_**" **She whispered aloud for all of Homra to hear. Two tears escaped the corners of her eyes. With a sad and tired smile gracing his lips, Tatara wiped away the princess's tears.

"_My dear princess, it is time for you to awaken now."_

_Tears poured out through the corners of Anna's wine colored eyes as each blood marble holding various precious memories shattered one by one. And each time one of them broke into dust, she felt as if a little of her heart was broken off as well._

_ Tatara, I miss you and Mikoto so much. And you know what? This is nothing compared to the pain of losing a loved one. This is nothing compared to the torture of Homra falling apart. This is nothing compared to Izumo and everyone else's pain and grief. It's nothing… nothing at all._

_ She let out her last breath as her consciousness began to slip away. Blackness webbed at the edges of her vision and folding her hands neatly over her chest, she slowly closed her eyes with a soft sigh._


End file.
